NuStep Believes in Miracles

Recently, Steve Sarns, NuStep’s vice president of sales and marketing, and NuStep’s marketing team, took a trip to New Jersey to visit Dottie Drake, founder of Miracles Fitness and a 2002 NuStep Pinnacle Award winner. Upon their arrival, they saw how NuStep is a catalyst for Miracle’s members to improve their health and well-being.

Dottie Drake, a former registered nurse, founded Miracles Fitness in 1998. Drake saw the need to provide a health club where people could come to workout, receive individual instruction and feel comfortable. Too common were the gyms and mega-health clubs that were intimidating and stuck by the motto, “no pain, no gain.”

“At Miracles, we don’t care what you look like,” said Drake. “It’s important to make the inside just as healthy as the outside. I tell all my clients, ‘You can be better then you are.”

Miracles is different from other health clubs in that it was created for seniors, baby boomers, women and the physically challenged – allowing them to feel comfortable and uninhibited while they exercise. Miracles has all the amenities of other gyms – strength, flexibility and cardio equipment, aerobic classes, even a tanning bed. It currently has 12 NuStep’s at its Rio Grande location. Drake owns another Miracles in Seaville, New Jersey and has sold two franchises located in Smithville, New Jersey and Louisiana.

“The energy of Dottie and everyone I met at Miracles is just amazing,” said Sarns. “When I arrived, it had been pouring raining and continued to rain all day. Dottie’s clients came out in the rain to talk with me about their belief in Miracles and the benefits they are receiving from the NuStep.”

Drake has a clientele-base that is like family. Her regulars come in, if not everyday, a couple times a week. They include retired husbands and wives who work out together, an animal behaviorist, and two nuns. Miracles even has four generations of women who work out together - Meta Friesenborg is 92 years old and works out on the NuStep three times a week for up to 18 minutes at a time. She has worked out with her daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter. She has been coming to Miracles over the last couple of years and lives by herself.

“My job is to bring accountability to my clients,” said Drake. “As they get older, many times, their doctors will tell them their bodies physically can’t do the things it used to. I don’t believe that. Instead of teaching people to die, I am teaching them to live.”

Lee and Helen Baker are among one of the Miracle’s couples who have been working out together for the last four years. Lee is 82 years old and suffered a stroke 13 years ago. Though he hasn’t gotten his speech back, Helen says, “he looks forward to coming to Miracles and likes working out on the NuStep the best. He works out on the NuStep for 20 minutes a day, three times a week.”

“I prefer the NuStep over all of the other machines,” said Helen. “I have arthritis and it’s easy for me to use and I feel good when I get off the NuStep.” Added Helen, “Miracles is a great place to workout and Dottie really knows what she is talking about. You can see the changes in the people who come here.”

For more information on Miracles Fitness or if you are interested in starting your own Miracles franchise, contact Dottie Drake at 866-285-7400 or dottiedrake@yahoo.com.